West Texas Kill Read online

  RAVES FOR JOHNNY D. BOGGS

  The Despoilers

  “Boggs’ historical asides are aided by a narrative style that drive the story along full gallop.”

  —True West

  “Boggs has once more written a humdinger of a book with wonderful characters, even the villains. The Despoilers tears at one’s heart, which is what really good fiction should do.”

  —Roundup

  “Johnny D. Boggs tells a crisply powerful story that rings true more than two centuries after the bloody business was done.”

  —The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)

  The Lonesome Chisholm Trail

  “Boggs is among the best western writers at work today. He writes with depth, flavor, and color, all of which are evident in this right-of-passage tale . . . Boggs tells the familiar story with authenticity and power.”

  —Booklist

  “Realistic dialogue, a little humor to lighten up the dramatic tension, a strong plot, and a sense of place that leaves one sneezing from the dust makes for one of Boggs’s best novels.”

  —Roundup

  Ten and Me

  “Informed by accurate detail in almost every regard . . . Boggs’s narrative voice captures the old-fashioned style of the past and reminds a reader of the derring-do of western legends of yesteryear.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “This is an entertaining western in the classic mold. The characters possess enough human frailty to be believable, the author includes interesting stuff on the weaponry of the times, and there is enough gunplay to satisfy genre purists.”

  —Booklist

  Once They Wore the Gray

  “Another dramatic story by a finalist for the Spur award of Western Writers of America.”

  —Amarillo Globe-News

  “Well worth reading, especially as it treats . . . an aspect of the Civil War that is often slighted in the history books.”

  —The Shootist

  Hannah and the Horseman

  “I think Johnny D. Boggs is well on his way to being a major western writer.”

  —The Shootist

  “This book displays an admirable sense of percolating pace and point-blank prose.”

  —The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)

  “Johnny D. Boggs moves his narrative at a lively clip, and it never turns mawkish.”

  —Fort Worth Star-Telegram

  This Man Colter

  “Humor, action, and a wonderful character in Gwen McCarthy make this a delightful read.”

  —Roundup

  “If you’re into the true wild west, you will enjoy this rugged tale set in west Texas.”

  —Rendezvous

  Foundation of the Law

  “As is to be expected with a Johnny Boggs novel, Foundation of the Law is full of those authentic historical details that make his stories so rich and believable.”

  —The Shootist

  Law of the Land

  “Making bad guys into sympathetic characters is not the easiest feat but Boggs succeeds.”

  —Southwest BookViews

  “It is an engrossing story, and is told with Boggs’ meticulous attention to authentic detail and believable characterizations. If his characters, including the Kid, don’t look like, sound like, and behave like Boggs describes them, they should have.”

  —The Shootist

  “Boggs’ unique approach to the Lincoln County War’s legal skirmishing is both eye-opening and memorable.”

  —True West

  The Big Fifty

  “While I was reading The Big Fifty sometimes I would forget ‘my favorite son’ had written it.”

  —Jackie Boggs, Johnny’s mother

  “Johnny D. Boggs has a keen ability to interlace historically accurate information amid a cast of well descriptive characters and circumstances.”

  —Cowboy Chronicle

  “A fine novel that will leave you with the taste of grit in your mouth, and the smell of spoiled buffalo carcasses in your nose.”

  —Roundup

  Spark on the Prairie

  “Brilliant.”

  —Roundup

  “Stunning.”

  —Persimmon Hill

  “This . . . continues a long-needed look at those who brought law and order to the frontier—not with six-guns but with law books.”

  —True West

  “A finely crafted historical novel with fully developed characters playing out their lives against the backdrop of early Texas settlement.”

  —American Cowboy

  East of the Border

  “This is an amusing glimpse at a decidedly different side of some of the Old West’s most famous names.”

  —The Denver Post

  “We need more books like East of the Border.”

  —Roundup

  “East of the Border is a fun, lighthearted look at the thespian deep within every cowboy.”

  —True West

  “Boggs takes the historical facts . . . and gives us a fascinating tale of West meets East.”

  —The Shootist

  Dark Voyage of the Mittie Stephens

  “Delightful entertainment, which combines elements of the traditional western with an Orient Express–style whodunit and a Titanic-like romance.”

  —Booklist

  “Based on a real disaster aboard the Mittie Stephens, this novel supplies suspense, a love story, betrayal, loyalty, bravery, and deceit wrapped up in a tight plot supported by wonderful, three-dimensional characters and a sense of place that evokes the smell of burning cotton bales and the screams of terrified passengers.”

  —Roundup

  Purgatoire

  “Spur Award–winner Boggs takes a common western plot—old gunslinger looking for redemption—and injects it with genuine humanity. Solid fare from a reliable genre veteran.”

  —Booklist

  “Boggs is unparalleled in evoking the gritty reality of the Old West, whether it’s the three-dimensionality of the characters or the look, sound and smell of the muddy streets and smoke-filled saloons.”

  —The Shootist

  “Johnny D. Boggs deftly charts the dual resurrection of a dying Colorado town and a perishing breed of man.”

  —True West

  Northfield

  “Lively and entertaining . . . a vibrant retelling of the Old West’s most notorious and deadly bank robbery.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “A fast-moving and strangely poignant tale that never pauses to rest.”

  —The Denver Post

  “This book stands head and shoulders above others of its kind.”

  —Roundup

  “The kaleidoscopic effect pays handsome rewards, fueling the action from all vantage points in concise, frenetic bursts that might even leave you feeling a mite poorly for those doomed outlaws.”

  —Booklist

  Camp Ford

  “Boggs’ carefully researched novel boasts meticulously drawn characters and captures in a striking way the amazing changes America underwent during the span of one man’s life. An unusual, very rich western that should attract not only genre readers but also baseball fans and Civil War buffs.”

  —Booklist

  “As baseball stories go, Camp Ford by Johnny D. Boggs is a home run . . . Think The Longest Yard . . . about baseball and without the glamour . . . Timeless.”

  —USA Today Sports Weekly

  Killstraight

  “It takes a skilled author like Johnny D. Boggs to drive the genre into new literary railheads, as he does in his novel Killstraight.”

  —Tucson Weekly

  Doubtful Cañon

  “Boggs’s quirky western doesn’t take itself too seriously, making this a fanciful and
fun ride into some dangerous business.”—Publishers Weekly

  “Boggs delivers a colorful, clever and arresting tale.”

  —Santa Fe New Mexican

  “Uses its non-serious side to appeal to younger readers . . . well-flavored tale.”

  —The Tombstone Epitaph

  Walk Proud, Stand Tall

  “The author’s deft hand at characterization and the subtle way he fills in the blanks as the story progresses makes Walk Proud, Stand Tall a tender story hard to resist.”

  —The Denver Post

  “Boggs deftly balances the bitter and the sweet, the harsh landscapes and the humanity. That he manages it entertainingly is our reward.”

  —Santa Fe New Mexican

  The Hart Brand

  “Though an ocean away, Kidnapped and Treasure Island come to mind when reading this Western; Boggs’ tale nearly matches the quality of those written by Stevenson.”

  —True West

  “Some consider William Dale Jennings’ The Cowboys the best Western coming-of-age novel. Others would argue it’s All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy or When the Legends Die by Hal Borland. With The Hart Brand, Boggs stakes his own firm claim.”

  —Santa Fe New Mexican

  “Boggs, who writes with a finely honed sense of character and a keen eye for detail, combines historical fact with fiction to create a Revolutionary adventure from the vantage point of an average participant.”

  —Booklist

  “Johnny Boggs has produced another instant page-turner . . . don’t put down the book until you finish it.”

  —Tony Hillerman

  “The relationships and setting shine: Daniel—striving at once to solve the case and reconnect with Comanche ways—is a complex, winning protagonist.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “A rousing story with an emotional and philosophical depth that will surprise readers who don’t expect complexity from a Western. . . . Explores the clash between white and native cultures . . . fundamentally different and strikingly similar.”

  —Booklist

  Soldier’s Farewell

  “This is not a simple Western . . . Boggs’ familiarity with the landscape . . . puts the reader right into New Mexico and particularly through the rugged landscape along the Río Chama. And while this may seem to be a fairly traditional Western, the conclusion is anything but. Another good read.”

  —The Roundup

  “Boggs . . . showcases his talent for period detail, atmosphere, complex characters, and the ability to evoke a stark landscape.”

  —Booklist

  “Ultimately, Soldier’s Farewell is a tale of two brothers falling far short of what their father expects of them, and what they expect of each other. This is another fine novel by one of today’s better writers of Westerns.”

  —Tucson Weekly

  WEST TEXAS KILL

  JOHNNY D. BOGGS

  PINNACLE BOOKS

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  www.kensingtonbooks.com

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  RAVES FOR JOHNNY D. BOGGS

  Title Page

  Dedication

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Copyright Page

  For Gary Goldstein

  CHAPTER ONE

  Hell, the man on the gray horse decided, does get cold.

  He had tied a blue woolen scarf over his hat and under his chin, bringing down the brim of his battered Stetson to keep his ears warm. Ice crystals had formed on his stiff mustache, his nose was red, lips chapped, and his lungs burned with every breath he took. Behind him, over the monotonous clopping of hooves came the sniffling of his men, the creaking of leather, the chimes of spurs. But no complaints. The sixteen men riding with him would not whine, would never turn back. He had heard the saying dozens of times before: The Rangers of Company E would ride through Hell for Captain Hector Savage.

  Indeed, they had.

  Hell. Mexico. He sniffed. Same damned thing.

  Dead stems rising from century plants bent to the brutal wind as he led his men through rough, mountainous terrain, the ground frozen solid, the country so bleak that even the yucca plants looked worn out. No clouds. No threat of snow. As Doc Shaw had commented a few hours earlier, “Too cold to snow.” Nothing but a harsh November wind, making the twenty-degree afternoon feel a lot colder. Behind him, to the north, rose the ominous peaks of the Chisos Mountains. Also behind him lay the Río Grande.

  The wool-lined collar of his heavy canvas coat had also been pulled up, although he had not bothered to button the coat. Despite the gloves, his fingers felt numb as he gripped the reins with his left hand, keeping his right near the ivory grip of one of the silver-plated Merwin Hulbert .44s holstered high on his waist.

  His pale blue eyes scanned the country. For the past couple hours, he had not seen any other living animal, not even a javelina or a coyote, as the horses picked their way around clumps of bear grass, catclaw, and pesky prickly pear. That would change soon. The Guardia Rural would intercept them shortly. He was counting on it.

  Twenty minutes later, as he led the Rangers into a widening valley, he spotted a flash in the distance—likely sunlight reflecting off a saber. He spit out a mouthful of tobacco juice as he tugged slightly on the reins, stopping the gray. Five more minutes passed before he saw the dust, and the band of Rurales came into view a few minutes later.

  Behind him, he heard an ominous click.

  “Nobody cocks or pulls a weapon,” Hector Savage said without turning around. A muttered sigh answered his order, followed by metallic sounds of a hammer being lowered on a Sharps, and the sliding of the rifle back into a saddle scabbard.

  “Demitrio,” Savage said.

  “Sí, Capitán.”

  “Best tie that bandana of yours to the barrel of your rifle. Let these Rurales know we come in peace.”

  “It is already done, mi capitán.”

  Savage grinned. Half Irish, half greaser, Demitrio Ahern had been riding for the Rangers since Savage had formed his company more than a decade earlier, after the government in Austin had finally wised up, gotten rid of that insipid state police, and sent men onto the frontier to bring justice—often summary, by hemp or lead—to outlaws terrorizing much of Texas. Austin had formed companies of Rangers, called battalions, and sent them to various regions. Leander McNelly got the Nueces Strip, and much glory, before succumbing to consumption. Hector Savage left his ranch southeast of San Antonio for the sprawling expanse of nothingness west of the Pecos River. He hadn’t been east of that river since.

  Without being ordered, Demitrio Ahern eased his horse out of line, and trotted to Savage’s right, a frayed cotton square, once solid brilliant white now faded and yellowed, popped in the wind from beneath the front sight of his .45-70 carbine. The stock was butted on his thigh against the worn leather chaps. He kept his gloved finger out of the trigger guard, but his thumb on th
e Sharps’s big hammer.

  Savage could see the Rurales loping across the desert floor in columns of twos, led by a thin Mexican wearing a French-style kepi. He counted eleven men, but just to be certain, he asked Ahern how many men he saw.